DJB to convert disputed Jal Vihar bungalow into training centre

A controversial bungalow in Delhi, built by a former DJB official after demolishing a monument, will now serve as a training center for engineers.

The controversial bungalow allegedly built in 2021 by a former top Delhi Jal Board (DJB) official after razing a 15th-century monument in southeast Delhi’s Jal Vihar will now be used as a training centre for engineers and human resource officials of the department, water minister Parvesh Verma said on Saturday.

The bungalow in southeast Delhi’s Jal Vihar. (HT Archive)

The decision was cleared at DJB’s 174th board meeting on Friday, which also approved a 100% waiver on late payment surcharge (LPSC) on water bills, a cut in the interest on delayed payments from 5% to 2%, and reduced charges for the legalisation of unauthorised water connections.

The bungalow has remained unoccupied since September 2023. Earlier that year, it came to light that the then DJB chief executive officer, Udit Prakash Rai, had allegedly ordered the demolition of the monument to build government accommodation for himself.

In April 2023, the directorate of vigilance issued a show-cause notice to Rai for allegedly demolishing the monument to construct his residence. The vigilance department noted that the site earlier contained a “monument” and a “gateway” listed in the Archaeological Survey of India’s List of Muhammadan and Hindu Monuments, Vol. IV, where it is described as a “Mahal” built during the Sayyid rule in Delhi in 1418.

The notice said Rai was responsible for the demolition and had violated residential accommodation norms. While he was entitled to a Type V government house, the bungalow’s built-up area was 700 sqm, far exceeding the prescribed 403 sqm. Nearly ₹4 crore was spent on its construction, the department said. On July 31, 2023, the Union home ministry suspended Rai and ordered him to vacate the property. He and his family left in September 2023. A senior official said the house was subsequently offered to several senior officers, but none accepted it “due to the controversy associated with it”.

Calling the property “beautiful and peaceful”, Verma said it was appropriate for use as a training facility. “It is unfortunate that the property itself is being viewed negatively because of the excesses of one officer. While officials were unwilling to take it, we also did not want to use it for anyone’s personal benefit. As a training centre, it will be put to official use only for the department,” he said.

Over the past year, DJB had weighed other options for the bungalow, first as a laboratory-cum-training centre and later as a government guesthouse, before settling on its new role, officials said.